Atlantic City (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by sammy1026
Summary: The trip to Atlantic City is finally here. There will be 3 chapters in all.
1. Chapter 1

_Mari and Ilna—I am grateful every day for the laughter and the friendship. You guys are the best._

 _Sandy—thanks for over a decade of sharing laughs and tears. Thankfully there have been more of the former than the latter._

 _REAL McRollers—I can't come close to expressing how much your support and enthusiasm mean to me. I know I sound like a broken record but as usual I am embarrassingly behind on replying to reviews. Please know that every single one is read and treasured._

* * *

 **BONUS POSTINGS ALERT!**

 **Hey guys. This story has taken on a bit of a life of its own and as per usual with these things I can't seem to stop tweaking so what I'm gonna do is break it up into three parts so I can get this first bit posted. I'll post chapters 2 and 3 tomorrow and Sunday.**

* * *

 **Atlantic City (1/3)**

 **Borgata Hotel & Casino**

 **Friday 2:00 P.M.**

Joseph Rollins followed the uniformed bellhop across the room, handed her a generous tip and thanked her for the help with their bags. As soon as the suite's heavy oak door closed behind the enthusiastic young employee with a soft thud he turned to face his traveling companions.

"This place is amazing," Elizabeth said, her head on a swivel, taking in floor to ceiling windows and the tasteful furnishings. "I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't this."

Nonna smiled. "When people hear Atlantic City they usually picture tacky and kitschy. This place is pretty much the opposite of that."

"I'll say." Joseph nodded his head in agreement.

"Look at this view." Grandma Ang's eyes moved from the hustle and bustle thirty floors below at street level to the placid water of the Atlantic Ocean clearly visible from the hotel's upper floors.

Elizabeth stood beside her mother. "It's a whole different world from up this high, isn't it?"

Something on the table in the corner of the room caught Joseph's eye. As he moved closer he saw a plate of assorted sweets and a basket of fancy coffees and teas. He picked up the note sitting beside the items on the table, read it, and smiled.

" _Have a good time and try not to get into any trouble. Five-0 has no jurisdiction in Atlantic City. Love Steve, Catherine, Danny and Mary."_

The women all chuckled as they joined him in examining the goodies.

"I'm sure these cookies aren't as good as yours, Nonna," Elizabeth smiled as she peeled back the plastic wrap covering the tray, "But I'm gonna have one anyway."

"Me too." Joseph eyed the cookies hungrily. "But there's no way they'll be as good as your knot cookies. I'm telling you, every time the UPS man knocks on the door I get excited. There's nothing better than a surprise cookie delivery from New Jersey."

"The poor man hates to knock on the door now if the package is from anywhere else," Grandma Ang said with a twinkle in her eye. "Joseph always looks so disappointed."

He smirked. "I shared a knot cookie with him once and he couldn't believe how delicious they are. He said he'd never had one before."

"Well he's lucky he's had one now," Elizabeth teased. "Getting you to share the knot cookies isn't easy."

"I'll double the batch next time," Nonna said delightedly. She was always happy to spread love with food.

"I'm not sure it would matter," Grandma Ang winked. "Joseph really loves those cookies. He could easily eat a double batch."

"It's true," Joseph nodded unashamedly. "But the good news is I try to take on extra chores to wear off the calories. Like putting these bags where they belong."

He reached down to pick up Nonna's suitcase and overnight bag. "Anyone have any preference as to sleeping arrangements?"

The suite had two bedrooms, each with two queen beds, located off opposite ends of the comfortable living room.

"Ang and I will share a room," Nonna said. "That way we won't disturb the two of you when we stay up late talking about our kids and grandkids and great grandkids. If that's ok with you, Ang."

"Absolutely," Grandma Ang nodded. "Sounds like fun to me."

"Ok," Joseph shook his head with a smile. "But just so you know, I haven't had to break up a late night sleepover gab session since Catherine was a teenager but I'm pretty sure I still remember how to do it."

"We'll keep that in mind." Nonna patted his arm as he moved past her before reaching down and snagging a French macaroon from the cookie tray.

"What time is it in Hawaii?" Grandma Ang looked at her watch and attempted to make the conversion in her head. "Maybe we should call the kids and let them know we got in safely."

"That's a great idea," Elizabeth said. "It's a little after 8 A.M. so they're definitely up."

* * *

 **Five-0 Headquarters**

 **Friday**

 **8:15 A.M.**

The team was gathered around the smart table reviewing the evidence on their latest case when Catherine's phone buzzed with an incoming call. She smiled when she saw it was from her mother. She didn't step away as she answered, knowing Danny and Steve would want to hear what was happening first hand.

"Hi, Mom," she said with a smile. "I'm here with the whole team. I'm gonna put you on speaker."

" _That sounds good, honey," Elizabeth replied. "I'll do the same."_

Catherine placed the phone on the table in front of her. "Can you hear me ok?"

" _Loud and clear," Elizabeth assured her as Joseph came out of the bedroom and brightened at the sound of his daughter's voice._

"Good. How's everything there. Are you getting settled in?" Catherine asked excitedly.

Steve smiled at her enthusiasm. Normally it was the kind of thing he might tease her about but this time he couldn't. He was every bit as thrilled about the trip as she was.

" _We are. This place is amazing," Elizabeth responded._

" _And thank you for the cookies and fancy coffees," Nonna added. "They were a lovely surprise."_

"We knew they could never be as good as yours but we wanted you to have a little something to help keep your energy up," Danny chuckled.

" _We'll have to flip a coin to see which kind of coffee to make first," Grandma Ang said. "They all sound delicious."_

"Enjoy them," Steve said. "We asked and they said they'd have the right kind of coffeemaker in the room … "

 _Joseph glanced at the room's sideboard. "They do."_

 _I can't remember the last time I ever stayed in a room this fancy," Nonna said, clearly impressed by her surroundings._

" _Ditto," Grandma Ang added. "You kids really outdid yourselves."_

"We're glad you like it," Catherine smiled, please that all seemed so happy with the suite.

" _We won't keep you." Elizabeth said. "We know you're working. We just wanted to let you know we got here safe and sound."_

"Thanks for calling," Steve replied sincerely. "And if you need anything you know where we are."

"Have a good time," the rest of the team chimed in.

" _We will," Nonna assured them. "Oh and tell your friend we appreciate him arranging the early check-in." She looked at the other women in the room with a twinkle in her eye. "That way we have plenty of time to get ready for the show tonight."_

Steve and Danny sighed loudly in unison.

"Have fun," they both grumbled as Catherine, Kono and Chin smirked at their ongoing discomfort at the thought of Nonna and Grandma Ang attending the burlesque review.

" _We will," Grandma Ang chimed in, unable to resist getting in on the teasing. "We'll tell you all about it next time we talk."_

"Can't wait," Steve said through a clenched jaw.

" _You be safe. All of you," Elizabeth said. "We'll talk later."_

"Bye. You guys have fun." Catherine disconnected the call and slipped the phone back into her pocket.

"Well I'll tell you one thing. I do not want to hear the details of that show," Steve said adamantly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Luckily they don't allow picture taking at those kinds of things," Danny nodded, then suddenly looked stricken. "They don't, do they?"

Chin and Kono shrugged non-committally.

"You two aren't helping." Catherine pinned the cousins with a playful glare before turning back to Steve and Danny. "I'm sure you won't have to look at any pictures. And if you stopped making it so obvious how much you hate the idea of them going they'd stop teasing you about it."

"Easier said than done," Steve groused as Danny nodded in agreement.

* * *

 **Atlantic City**

 **Borgata Hotel & Casino**

 **Friday 3:00 P.M.**

Nonna and Grandma Ang decided they had plenty of time to head to the casino and play the slot machines for an hour or so before coming back to the room and changing for dinner and the 8:00 P.M. performance of Burlesque at the Music Box Theatre.

Joseph and Elizabeth readily agreed. This weekend was all about Nonna and Grandma Ang having fun and whatever they wanted to do was just fine with the 'chaperones'.

Just as Joseph hung up from making a dinner reservation at Fornelletto the bedroom door opened and Nonna and Grandma emerged wearing matching t-shirts and beaming smiles.

"What … how did you … those are adorable," Elizabeth said as she moved closer to get a better look.

The grandmas were wearing white t-shirts with a picture of Steve, Danny, Catherine and Mary on the front, the same picture Grandma Ang had taped to the top of her lucky parfait container of BINGO chips. Emblazoned in black script were the words— _My Grandchildren Got Me This Trip for Grandparents' Day_.

"Where did you get those?" Elizabeth gasped.

"Kristy had them made for us at the mall," Grandma Ang said proudly.

"Ah," Elizabeth nodded. "That explains the mysterious package she delivered the other day."

"I wanted them to be surprise." Grandma Ang clapped her hands together, pleased she'd managed to keep the secret.

Joseph pulled out his phone and snapped some pictures. First of just Nonna and Grandma Ang and then with Elizabeth standing between them, all smiling brightly.

"I know some people that will absolutely love these," he said. "Now what do you say we go win some money?"

* * *

 **Casino Floor**

 **3:30 P.M.**

The grandmas smiled proudly each time someone commented on the shirts and happily regaled their new friends with stories of Steve, Catherine and Danny and how they were keeping Hawaii safe as well as their times in the Navy and with the New Jersey Police Department. They also spoke proudly of the progress Mary was making her life and what a great mother she'd become.

"You're very lucky," one older woman said enviously. "I'm lucky if I can get my grandkids to come over for dinner a couple of times a year."

"It's hard for them to get away, what with their jobs and Danny's Grace is in school and has all kinds of activities, and Mary has Joanie," Nonna explained. "Still they make it a priority to get back east to visit as often as possible."

"Plus," Grandma Ang smiled, "my daughter and son-in-law and I have started a new tradition of travelling to Hawaii for Thanksgiving. Last year I had my picture taken standing on a surfboard with a handsome man."

"Do your grandkids wanna adopt me?" a younger woman asked jokingly.

"When it comes to family there's always room for more," Nonna smiled.

Thirty minutes later Joseph stood next to Elizabeth near the edge of the room watching Grandma Ang and Nonna hold their audience spellbound.

"They're having the time of their lives aren't they?" he asked as he slipped his arm around his wife.

"Yes they are," Elizabeth smiled. "This was a great idea."

"They certainly love talking about the grandkids," Joseph smiled affectionately.

Elizabeth's tone was wistful. "They sure do."

"What are you thinking about?" Joseph nudged her shoulder. "You're a thousand miles away."

"I was just thinking about the first time Catherine brought Steve home for a visit."

"I remember it well," Joseph nodded, joining her in the memory. He'd met Steve prior, first in Catherine's apartment and then at lunch, but the visit was the first time he'd gotten to spend any amount of time with the man his daughter was clearly so fond of.

"He's a good man, that was clear from the start, but there was something in his eyes. He clearly loved Catherine but he'd been so hurt and seemed so afraid to love and to let himself be loved." Elizabeth shook her head, wondering for the millionth time how the adults in Steve's young life could have all failed him so monumentally.

Joseph nodded. "I remember watching his eyes as he tried to take everything in. It was like the concept of an actual family was foreign to him."

"And look at him now," Elizabeth grinned. "His face on a t-shirt while two women, neither of whom he's related to by blood, gush on about him like he's one of their own grandchildren."

"He's come a long way," Joseph agreed. "The love of a good woman certainly helped. I have personal experience with what a difference that can make."

Elizabeth smiled softly and kissed him on the cheek. "You make it very easy."

"Thank you. I do my best. Hey … I have a pocketful of quarters. Wanna give one of these machines a whirl?"

"Why not?" she smiled. "I'm feeling very lucky today."

* * *

 **Five-0 Headquarters**

 **Friday 9:40 A.M.**

Steve had just hung up from talking to Duke when his phone rang again, this time with a call from Mary.

"Hey, what's up?"

The sound of his sister's sniffles had him instantly on alert.

"Mary what's wrong? Are you okay? Is Joanie okay?"

" _We're fine. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just … " Mary said, trying to compose herself but failing._

"Just what? What's wrong?" There was no way Steve was going to relax until he knew exactly what was going on.

" _Did you get the pictures Joseph texted?"_

"I haven't had a chance to look." Steve grabbed a stack of new faxes out of the machine and headed into his office. "I've been on the phone most of the morning."

" _I didn't mean to interrupt you. I know you're busy. When you get a chance though … "_

"No, it's fine. I'll look now. Hold on."

Steve pulled up the texts from Joseph and looked at the pictures. It took him a minute to process what he was seeing.

"Wow."

He was nearly speechless.

" _I know. Aren't those … I mean … it says 'my grandchildren'." Mary lost her battle to keep her tears at bay. "Grandma Ang and Nonna consider us …" She trailed off as the tears began to flow harder._

"That's … wow … yeah … " Steve said around the lump in his throat.

He loved both Nonna and Grandma Ang and knew they loved him back, even if it had taken him a while to actually wrap his mind around that fact, but there was something about seeing the sentiment in writing, and knowing they wanted to share it with everyone in Atlantic City that might see their shirts, that made his heart flutter unexpectedly.

Having them also include Mary, and knowing their love for his sister was every bit as deep and genuine as their love for him, was icing on the cake.

" _It doesn't seem like that long ago I was convinced I'd never know what it felt like to be part of a real family."_

"I know," Steve sighed. "I'm sorry you ever had to go through … "

 _Mary cut him off. "No more apologies. That's all in the past. Whatever happened back then brought me to where I am today. I can't regret it because it made me appreciate what I have now that much more."_

"I'm glad," Steve smiled.

He was so proud of Mary and so happy that she was finally coming into her own. The strength he'd always known she had was finally showing through. He was sure part of that was becoming a mom but he also knew it was thanks in large part to the influence of Catherine and Elizabeth and Grandma Ang and Nonna.

Strong role models one and all.

" _I called you because when I saw those pictures the strangest thing happened."_

"What?" Steve asked softly.

" _I looked at them and my first instinct was to call you. But not to say I couldn't believe we get to be part of this family. I just wanted to call and say how cool the shirts are and I wonder what the other people in the casino think. You know what I mean?"_

Steve smiled when he realized what she was trying to say.

Her first thought was no longer disbelief that she was actually loved by these people. She no longer felt unsure about her place in their new family.

"They really are cool, aren't they?"

" _Yes, they are. They're exactly the kind of dorky shirts grandmas make and wear in public to embarrass their grandchildren."_

"Except we're not embarrassed."

" _No, we're not. Because we know how lucky we are."_

"Yes, we definitely are." Steve looked up and smiled as he saw Catherine enter the bullpen.

" _OK I gotta run. I wanna get some laundry done while Joanie is distracted watching Sesame Street. I just wanted to make sure you'd seen the pictures. Give my love to Catherine and tell her I'll call her later."_

"Will do."

" _I hope Nonna and Grandma Ang aren't too tired for a quick Skype tonight after the Burlesque show. I can't wait to hear all the details."_

"We were having a nice moment there and then you had to go and ruin it," Steve sighed.

" _What's the matter big brother. I mean sure there's some nakedness … you know a few bare breasts and all … but … "_

"I'm done talking to you." The exasperated tone in his voice made Mary giggle. "Clearly Catherine has involved you in her plot to drive Danny and me crazy with this whole burlesque thing."

" _It's just so easy," Mary said in a sing-song voice._

"So I'm told." Steve smiled as he watched Catherine look at her phone. Her hand flew to her mouth and he knew she was looking at the pictures Joseph had sent. "I gotta go, Mare. I'll talk to you later."

" _Talk to you soon."_

"Hey, before you go. I just wanna say … "

" _What?"_

"It's good to hear you sound so happy."

" _Thanks. It's good to feel happy."_

"I can't argue with you there." As Steve continued to watch Catherine Danny entered the bullpen waving his arms wildly and holding his phone. When Catherine smiled at him he rolled his eyes. Steve assumed he was reacting to the t-shirts with his usual grumpiness.

But beneath all the grumbling Steve knew his partner loved his family far too much to be embarrassed by such a display.

"Give Joanie a kiss from us."

" _I will. Talk to you soon."_

Steve disconnected the call and headed for the bullpen.

"Have you seen these pictures?" Danny asked and he couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I have."

 **END CHAPTER 1**

* * *

 **Next up: The Burlesque Show**

* * *

 _If you are not on the REALMcRoll email list and would like to be, drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com with "Add me, please!" in the subject line. You'll get updates, contests, and fun McRoller games._

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 _In addition, one of our AWESOME REAL Worlders, katydid13, has created a community on here on_ _fanfiction dot net that brings all of the REAL World stories, and all of Mari, Sammy & Ilna's pre-universe stories in one place. You can find it at_

 _community/McRoll-in-the-Real-World_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N's in Chapter 1_

* * *

 **Atlantic City (2/3)**

 **Music Box Theater**

 **Borgata Hotel & Casino**

 **Friday 7:45 P.M.**

After some time on the casino floor in the late afternoon where Elizabeth won $50 and Nonna and Grandma Ang spent more time making new friends than playing the slots they all returned to the room and got ready for a relaxing dinner at Fornelletto before the evening burlesque show.

As soon as it was decided they'd be staying at the Borgata Nonna recommended they eat at least one meal at the hotel's Italian restaurant. She'd dined there on a number of occasions with friends and family and enjoyed it each and every time. Elizabeth, Joseph and Grandma Ang took her suggestion as a ringing endorsement. Any Italian food that gets Nonna's seal of approval has to be good.

They were not disappointed.

The subterranean location gave the restaurant a laid back ambience that set the perfect mood. The food was delicious on its own but the fact that it was shared over stories and laughter with loved ones made it even better. Dessert was to die for. A crème brulee Nonna pronounced as good as any she'd ever eaten.

After dinner they took a leisurely stroll around the hotel to help dinner digest then headed for the Music Box Theater. Once they arrived, they milled around the lobby with the other show-goers waiting for the doors to open.

"Should we text Steve and Danny and tell them so far none of the people waiting for the show look creepy?" Nonna asked with a wry smile.

"Might not be a bad idea," Grandma Ang smirked. "If they don't hear from us who knows what they'll think."

"Steve has already texted me three times since we sat down to dinner making sure everything is ok and we haven't changed our minds. He offered to find us tickets to another show if we had," Joseph smiled indulgently.

In a way he understood where Steve and Danny were coming from. He recalled his own grandmother, after she saw a local belly-dancing group perform at a town festival, deciding she wanted to take lessons even in her late 70s. He remembered clearly sitting her down and telling her she was too old for such a thing. More than that he remembered her schooling him in the many, many reasons he was absolutely wrong.

Not that either Grandma Ang or Nonna were going to take up burlesque.

At least he didn't think they were.

But still… he understood it could be hard for men to look at the grandmothers in their life as anything more than … well … grandmothers.

"They just don't realize that burlesque is about so much more than the nudity. It's an art form. There's dancing and acrobatics and pantomime," Elizabeth said.

"And jokes," Nonna said. "I remember going to the old burlesque theaters in New York City and laughing so hard at the shows I cried."

"The same thing happened in Chicago," Grandma Ang nodded. "I miss the old burlesque theaters."

"We'd probably see much worse going down the street to the local movie theater and picking a movie at random," Nonna pointed out.

"You're probably right," Joseph agreed. "I have an idea. Let's take a picture and send them so they can see how respectable we all look."

He stopped a passing hotel employee and asked her to take a quick picture for them and the young woman happily complied. He then sent it off to Steve, Catherine, Danny and Mary with a note saying— _We're off to the Burlesque_.

* * *

 **Kamekona's Shrimp Truck**

 **Friday 1:45 P.M.**

"Sorry we're late," Steve said as he and Danny approached the table where Catherine, Kono and Chin were sitting. They'd all agreed to meet at 1:30 for a late lunch and review the evidence in their latest case but Steve and Danny's interview ran long.

"No problem. We just got here ourselves," Catherine smiled and squeezed his knee as he slid onto the bench beside her. "I was just showing Chin and Kono the text Dad sent."

"They all look great," Kono said.

"And excited about seeing the show," Chin added.

"Whatever," Steve grumbled.

"I prefer not to think about it," Danny moaned.

"Come on now, I think you're overreacting," Chin said. "I used to date a girl back in the day who was into burlesque and she took me to a few of her shows. They were really good. Tasteful."

"Atlantic City isn't exactly known for tasteful," Danny pointed out, putting air quotes around 'tasteful'.

"Wait … " Catherine asked incredulously. "Are you criticizing New Jersey?"

"In this one isolated instance, yes," Danny said petulantly.

"Well, you're being silly. This is a very nice show that has a great reputation and gets 5-star reviews." Catherine repeated the same thing she'd been telling them since she bought the tickets.

"So you keep saying," Danny groused.

As Kamekona arrived to take their order Steve, Danny and Catherine received an incoming text from Nonna. Danny read aloud. _"The woman sitting beside us saw the show last month and she said there's a dancer at the very beginning who can make the tassels on her pasties spin in opposite directions."_

Steve and Danny both glared at her expectantly but Catherine just sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead. "This is gonna be a long afternoon," she said, as much to herself as to anyone else at the table.

* * *

 **Borgata Hotel & Casino**

 **Friday 11:30 P.M.**

Steve and Danny had each called both Nonna and Grandma Ang once they were certain the show was over just to check and make sure everything was ok. Each made it clear they didn't want to hear any details, they just wanted to know how things had gone … generally.

"They really are adorable with all their over-protectiveness but at some point it needs to be nipped in the bud," Nonna smiled affectionately.

"Absolutely," Grandma Ang agreed. "They act as though we've been cloistered our entire lives. That left to our own devices we'd get into who knows what sort of trouble."

Nonna looked at the remote laying on the bedside table and her eyes lit up. "Do we really wanna teach them a lesson?"

Grandma Ang's interest was immediately piqued. "What are you thinking?"

"My friend Rose told me that at any hotel in Atlantic City if you turn on the tv," Nonna pushed the power button and the screen immediately lit up, "you'll get a list of … oh my … yes … there they are."

Grandma Ang's eyes scanned the titles. "Huh. None of those sound like wholesome family viewing."

"I believe they're what we used to call 'blue' movies."

"Can you imagine if Steve and Danny thought we were going to order one of these?" Suddenly Grandma Ang realized what Nonna was planning and a sly smiled crept over her face. "Should we?"

"I think we should," Nonna nodded. "We just have to figure out the best way to go about it."

Grandma Ang crossed the room and retrieved her phone from her purse. "I know. Let's ask their opinion on which one we should order."

"You're gonna call?" Nonna asked.

"No, I don't think I'd be able to do it without laughing. How about we text them a list of titles and ask for their opinion?"

"Excellent idea. Or better yet … let's send them a picture."

"I like the way you think."

It took them several tries to get a picture of the TV screen where the movie titles were actually readable.

The first picture was blurry.

The second was of the ceiling.

The third cut half the TV screen off.

But they persevered through the giggles and finally got what they were after.

"Now what should we say?" Grandma Ang asked as she prepared to send the picture. She might still get her emails stuck in CAPSLOCK occasionally but Catherine had helped her learn to send pictures via text.

"How about ' _We're still wound up from that exciting show and having trouble falling asleep so we thought we'd order a movie. Have you seen any of these? Can you suggest one?_ '"

"Perfect." Grandma Ang began typing, backed up to fix a spelling error, nearly deleted the picture accidentally, then finally got the message typed correctly. She entered addresses for Steve, Danny, Catherine and Mary and hit send. "Now we wait."

* * *

 **Five-0 Headquarters**

 **Friday 5:40 P.M.**

"CATHERINE!" Steve's voice rang out across the entire suite of offices.

She had just finished reading the text from Grandma Ang so she knew exactly what had Steve in such a state. Before she could get out of her chair he barged into her office.

"Did you see this?" He held out his phone.

"I did," she smiled. "Steve, they're teasing you. They both know those are porn movies. They're not really planning on ordering one."

"How would they know what kind of movies those are? They certainly wouldn't have any reason to know that kind of thing." Steve pinned her with a glare.

"Well the titles alone make it pretty obvious …" she started but was quickly interrupted by the sound of Danny's yelling.

"Steven! Did you see this?"

Steve opened the door and yelled "Catherine's office," and Danny was there in no time.

"I KNEW that burlesque show was a bad idea. I KNEW it." He was already well on his way to a full-on rant as he came through the door. He stopped just inside, hands on hips, and looked at Catherine challengingly. "YOU said it was no big deal. YOU said let them go if they want to."

It was all Catherine could do not to laugh. "There was absolutely nothing wrong with them seeing the burlesque show," she said calmly.

"Really? Because they haven't been back to the room for more than an hour and now they're ordering porn movies off pay-per-view. That doesn't sound harmless to me." He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her, waiting for a response.

"It certainly doesn't." Steve adopted an identical stance. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm telling you they're just … " she was cut off by the simultaneous dings on their phones indicating a new message.

Danny read the text aloud. _"'Some of these must not be very good. There are reviews that say people only watched the first 10 minutes or so? Are they that boring?'"_

"I can't believe this." He flopped down in the visitors' chair across the desk from Catherine. "Who is going to explain to our grandmothers that the reason people only watch 10 minutes of a movie in a hotel is because it's a porn flick and … well let's just say sometimes it serves its purpose fast?"

"Not me. I'm not telling them. I promise you that," Steve said emphatically.

"I've never really understood why people need porn movies. I mean even if you're alone can't you just use your imagination and … "

"STOP!" Danny put both hands up in front of him. "The very last thing I need right now is musings on you two and your … extraordinarily robust … sex life."

For a second the perturbed look on Steve's face was replaced by a grin.

Then he remembered Nonna and Grandma Ang in a hotel room in Atlantic City ordering PPV porn and the scowl returned. "You have to do something to fix this, Catherine. This isn't something Danny or I can … you know …"

"You mean you're both afraid to say the word porn to Nonna or Grandma Ang?" She grinned.

Steve rubbed his forehead. "Just make this go away please."

"Just for you," she smiled.

"We'll be in my office going over Max's report. Come find us when it's over." Steve opened her office door and stepped out into the hall.

"So in like 10 minutes then?" She called after him, unable to resist.

"That is not funny," Danny groused as he followed his partner out into the hall. "Not funny at all."

Catherine's phone dinged and saw an incoming message from Mary. _"The grandmas can still bring the high heat when it comes to teasing, huh?"_

Catherine smiled and replied. "They sure can."

" _How are Steve and Danny taking it?"_

"About like you'd expect. Fun is fun but I'm gonna try to put an end to it before one of them loses their mind."

" _Good luck. Keep me posted."_

Catherine closed her text with Mary and opened one to her mother.

* * *

 **Borgata Hotel & Casino**

 **11:50 P.M.**

Grandma Ang looked at Nonna and grinned as they heard a soft knocking on the bedroom door. "Which one of them do you suppose squealed on us?" She asked before calling "Come in."

"We're decent," Nonna giggled.

Elizabeth opened the door and looked at the women with a broad smile. "So is this the 2015 version of prank calls? You're prank texting people now?"

"Which one ratted us out, Steve or Danny?" Grandma Ang asked.

"Actually it was Catherine." Elizabeth leaned against the doorframe. "She's afraid one or both of them may have a heart attack at the thought of you two ordering an X-rated movie."

"We're not really ordering an X-rated movie," Grandma Ang scoffed.

"I figured as much," Elizabeth nodded. "Is there some reason you want them to think you are?"

"We're just trying to make a point," Nonna explained. "We appreciate their concern and that they want to protect us but we're grown women who long ago stopped needing someone to tell us what we should and shouldn't do."

"They mean well," Elizabeth sighed.

"Of course they do. And we love them for it." Grandma Ang met and held her daughter's eyes. "But what would you have done if Joseph tried to tell you you shouldn't go somewhere because you might be exposed to some tasteful nudity?"

Elizabeth tilted her head to the side. "Well first off Joseph would never do that." The other women nodded in agreement. "But hypothetically if he did … I'd buy tickets anyway and tell him he was welcome to come if he wanted but either way I'm going."

"That's my girl," Grandma Ang said proudly.

Elizabeth grinned. "Ok, you two have your fun. Just do me a favor and let them know you're kidding before one or both of them ends up on a plane here."

"Deal!"

* * *

 **Five-0 Headquarters**

 **Friday 6:00 P.M.**

"I texted Mom and asked her to talk to Nonna and Grandma Ang," Catherine said as she entered Steve's office. Steve was sitting at his desk and Danny was on the couch, leaning back, feet on the coffee table. "I keep telling you though they're just trying to get a rise out of you."

Before Catherine could say anything else another text arrived.

" _We just realized you put a credit card down to guarantee this room and we don't want to add any more charges to it since you've already been so generous."_

Steve's head thumped back against his chair. "Oh geez, I hadn't even thought about the credit card bill."

Danny sat up straight. "Whose card did you use?"

"Mine," Catherine responded.

"You don't want porn movies on your credit card statement," Steve said urgently.

"I keep telling you no one is … "

Their phones dinged again.

" _We can probably call the front desk and ask them to put the charges on one of our credit cards, right?"_

"No," Danny yelled at the phone as if Nonna and Grandma Ang could hear him. "No one needs to have porn movie charges on their credit card bill."

Catherine's phone dinged and both men looked at her expectantly.

"It's Mary," she explained as she opened the text.

" _Please take a picture of their faces for me."_

Catherine grinned as she took a couple of quick shots.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked.

"Mary wants to see your faces," Catherine shrugged.

"Tell Mary … " Danny started. "You know what? Never mind. We have a more pressing problem right now."

Catherine smiled as she sent off the pictures to Mary under the subject line 'this is what freaking out looks like'.

Suddenly Steve had an idea. "It's your credit card, Catherine," he said, the idea spilling out of his mouth before he had a chance to consider it completely. "Call the hotel and tell them to put a hold on any additional charges."

"You want me to cut off Nonna and Grandma Ang?"

"Not cut them off … not exactly … " Steve was starting to see holes in the plan but he pushed on anyway, desperate for a solution. "Just … you know … no more charges to your card."

"So when they go to the salon tomorrow and the card gets rejected, then what?" Catherine asked.

"You know what … fine … it's not a perfect plan. But we have to do something." Steve looked at her expectantly.

"We really don't," she chuckled. "They're just trying to get a reaction from you two. Quite successfully I might add."

All three phones dinged again and Danny dropped his head to his hands. "This is not happening."

" _Maybe we could just go down to the desk and pay for the movie in cash."_

Steve responded immediately. "No, no, no. Don't do that." He hit send then looked at Catherine. "There's only one solution. You have to fly to Atlantic City tonight."

"Steve! That's a ten hour flight."

"It can't be helped Catherine. I'm sorry."

Catherine's phone rang and she smiled when she saw Mary's name on the caller ID. 'Thank heavens. Reinforcements,' she thought as she answered the call and put it on speaker phone.

"Everything ok there?" Mary asked as Catherine laid her phone on Steve's desk.

"No, it isn't and you know that perfectly well," Danny snotted.

Catherine took a deep calming breath. "I've been trying to tell them they're just being taught a lesson The two of them acted as if Nonna and Grandma Ang were too old or too delicate to handle a little nudity. They treated these two women who have survived, and in fact thrived, to the age they're at like children."

"Catherine's right," Mary said. "They're very cool ladies with six kids between them. You realize they know where babies come from, right?"

"Mary," Steve said with an exasperated sigh.

"You know where they come from, don't you? Do we need to have a talk? I think there's a book you can get to use as a guide."

"You know neither one of you is as funny as you think you are," Danny grumbled.

"Where is Joanie right now?" Steve asked impatiently. "Can she hear you talking like this?"

Catherine burst out laughing at the stricken look on Steve's face.

"She's in the playroom playing blocks with Aaron," Mary chuckled.

Steve dropped his chin to his chest. "One thing at a time, please. So you're telling me you really believe this was all a put on?" he asked skeptically.

"Every last word of it," Catherine said confidently.

"I'm not sure Nonna and Grandma Ang would go to those lengths," Danny added doubtfully.

Catherine shook her head and smiled. "They most definitely would."

She reached for her phone at the sound of another incoming text.

" _We're just going to go ahead and order them all. We've heard a lot of the girls in these films are just trying to help put themselves through college and you know how we both believe in higher education."_

Mary chuckled. "Still think they're not taking you for a ride? I believe that's what we call a MIC DROP moment."

Catherine couldn't hide her grin. "I think you're right."

For the first time since in hours Steve actually managed a small smile. "You may be right," he conceded.

"But why?" Danny asked.

"They were teaching you a lesson," Catherine reiterated. "Just because they're older doesn't mean they don't have minds of their own."

"Maybe," Danny admitted grudgingly.

Steve had to know for sure. He replied to the text. "Have you two just been teasing this entire time?"

" _Of course we have."_ The answer came back immediately. Steve and Danny both breathed a sigh of relief until they saw the next text. _"We're actually going to order Bambi & Thumper."_

"Oh please let that be an animated Disney movie," Steve said and Mary bark laughed.

" _Or maybe Rear Window. Or My Fair Lady."_ The next text read.

Danny stood up and began to pace. "Every movie title sounds dirty to me now."

" _Or maybe we'll just go ahead and go to sleep. We need our rest for Tony Bennett tomorrow night."_

Steve typed a reply. "Sleep sounds like a good idea. You want to be nice and rested for Tony."

"Definitely no nudity in Tony's show," he said happily as soon as he hit send. "No cause for concern there."

Then the next text arrived.

" _We're not sure if women still throw panties on the stage when he sings but we each bought a new 3-pack just in case."_

The sound of Catherine and Mary's laughter could be heard in the lobby.

 **END CHAPTER 2**

* * *

Tomorrow—TONY BENNETT!

 _If you are not on the REALMcRoll email list and would like to be, drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com with "Add me, please!" in the subject line. You'll get updates, contests, and fun McRoller games._

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 _community/McRoll-in-the-Real-World_


	3. Chapter 3

_AN's in Chapter 1_

* * *

 **Atlantic City (3/3)**

 **Borgata Hotel & Casino**

 **Saturday 8:15 A.M.**

Joseph and Elizabeth emerged freshly showered from their bedroom and found the suite's living room unoccupied. Since the door to the other bedroom remained closed they assumed Nonna and Grandma Ang were still sleeping.

Unsure as to what the older women planned on doing for breakfast they decided to brew a pot of coffee and wait. Elizabeth chose a Hazelnut Dark Roast from the basket that had been waiting for them when they arrived and while she got it started brewing Joseph fired up his laptop and checked the latest news headlines.

As soon as the coffee was ready Elizabeth poured them each a cup and joined her husband on the couch. They sat in silence, side-by-side, checking the result of the previous night's Cubs game then moving on to a lengthy op-ed piece about the pros and cons of the designated hitter rule. Neither said a word and yet they were so tuned to each other Joseph knew instinctively when to scroll and what articles to click on.

They were almost done with their first cups of coffee when they were startled by the sound of the suite door opening. They looked up to see Grandma Ang and Nonna, once again wearing their matching t-shirts, flanking a young hotel employee carrying three and a half buckets of quarters from the casino.

"Ang won!" Nonna announced excitedly.

"What … when … we thought the two of you were still sleeping." Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at the look of pure delight on the faces of both her mother and Nonna.

"You can sit those right on the table," Grandma Ang said to the young man who had helped them to the room. "And thank you again. You're a very sweet boy."

"My pleasure, ladies," the young man beamed.

"Don't you lose that email address I gave you," Nonna instructed him. "Next year when you're ready to apply to the police academy you let me know and I'll have my grandson put in a good word for you."

"I appreciate that," he smiled.

Joseph reached into his pocket for a tip but the young man waved him off. "This one's on me." With a smile and a final goodbye to the grandmas he headed back to the casino.

"He's a good boy," Nonna said.

"He's working here full-time putting himself through college at night. He wants to be a police officer and eventually a detective," Grandma Ang added.

"That's nice," Elizabeth grinned. "But … what were you two even doing in the casino alone? Why didn't you wake us up? We'd have gone with you."

"Oh we know you would have," Nonna assured them. "We really didn't plan on doing any gambling this morning. We just went down to take a look around and scout out the best place to have breakfast. We happened to walk past a slot machine and Ang had a quarter in her pocket and she dropped it in almost as a joke and," Nonna's face broke into a beaming smile, "all of the sudden a bunch of quarters came out."

"Can you believe it?" Grandma Ang shook her head. "One quarter. It must have been a lucky one."

"Clearly," Joseph agreed.

"So then we couldn't walk away from all that luck so we decided to sit down and play the quarters I'd won and then … " she indicated the buckets.

"Finally we got hungry and we wanted to come back here and see if you two were ready for breakfast but the buckets were too heavy." Nonna picked up the story. "That's when Nathan offered to bring them up to the room for us."

"You didn't want to just cash them in?" Elizabeth asked.

"You know better than that, dear," Grandma Ang gasped. "They have luck in them. We need to play with these specific quarters for the rest of the weekend."

Joseph shook his head and nudged his wife's shoulder. "Obviously. I mean even I knew that, Elizabeth," he teased.

"Those are your quarters, Ang," Nonna insisted.

"We're splitting them," Grandma Ang was adamant. "The first quarter may have been mine but once we had that first payout we both played and we both won. I won't hear another word about it."

Nonna thought for a minute. "How about if we agree that whatever we have at the end of the weekend we'll use to but something for the lovely grandchildren who gave us this trip?"

"Perfect!" Grandma Ang clapped her hands together. "Now, if you two are ready to get this day started, let's go find some breakfast."

* * *

 **10:30 A.M.**

After a quick breakfast at the Borgata Baking Company Joseph headed back to the suite to retrieve a bucket of the lucky quarters, which he had stowed in the room's built-in safe before heading out to eat, and the ladies headed directly for the casino floor.

By the time he caught up with them they were standing at the craps table. Nonna and Grandma Ang appeared to be concentrating intently while Elizabeth watched on with a soft smile. "Moving up in the world?" Joseph teased as he slid in beside her.

"Not exactly," she chuckled. "They apparently can't play the slots without their lucky quarters but craps is a different matter."

"How are they doing?"

"Breaking even as far as I can tell."

It didn't take long for Nonna and Grandma Ang to decide their luck wasn't carrying over to craps and to take their lucky quarters and return to the slot machines.

Elizabeth and Joseph leaned against a wall next to the slots and smiled as they watched Grandma Ang and Nonna interact with the people who sat down at the machines next to theirs, or who couldn't resist commenting on their t-shirts, or remembered them from the previous day and just wanted to say hi.

"This trip was a great idea," Joseph said as Nathan, the young employee from earlier, stopped by to see if the ladies' luck was continuing.

"It was," Elizabeth agreed. "We should do it more often. It isn't really that far and it's clear Mom and Nonna enjoy it."

"Once we get back home we'll compare schedules and find a good time to come back."

"Thank you." Elizabeth kissed him softly on the cheek.

"My pleasure." He dropped his arm around her. "We just have to make sure the two of them don't decide to get on a bus and come without us. Who knows what they'd get up to?"

* * *

 **2:00 P.M.**

By two o'clock Nonna and Grandma Ang had amassed another three buckets of quarters and were ready to cash in their winnings and head to the salon to have their hair done in preparation for the Tony Bennett show that evening.

Joseph went back to the suite and retrieved the remaining quarters from the safe but before they cashed in they stacked the buckets up on a table and took a picture of themselves to send to Steve, Danny, Catherine and Mary.

"We look like high rollers," Nonna teased as Joseph sent the text.

"We should have spread our winning out on the bed and posed with them," Grandma Ang suggested. "Though I think that works better with bills than with quarters."

"Probably," Elizabeth chuckled.

"Let's get this counted and see how much we have," Grandma Ang suggested. "Then we can discuss what we want to get the kids while we're at the salon."

"Tony Bennett here we come!" Nonna and Grandma Ang said in unison.

* * *

 **McGarrett/Rollins Home**

 **Saturday 8:10 A.M.**

"Did you see the text from your dad," Steve asked as Catherine and Cammie came back from their morning run to find him preparing breakfast.

"I did," she smiled as she put fresh, cold water in Cammie's dish. "Looks like they're having a great time."

"And winning."

Catherine smirked. "The t-shirts must be lucky."

"Must be." Steve smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Catherine pulled two plates from the cupboard. "Something wrong?"

"No … I mean … not really," he shrugged.

"That doesn't sound very convincing." She leaned against the counter beside him and rubbed his lower back gently.

He leaned into her touch for a few seconds then turned to face her. "That whole thing with the burlesque show. With me not wanting Nonna and Grandma Ang to go."

"Yes," she said, waiting for him to find the right words to continue.

"You know that wasn't about me thinking they couldn't make their own decisions. Or that they didn't … I don't know … know what they were getting into."

"I know that, Steve," she assured him. "You were just worried about them and being a little … "

"Over-protective?"

"I was gonna say caveman-ish but we'll go with yours."

"I know there's more to them than being grandmothers. They're both intelligent women with impressive pasts and good heads on their shoulders. I not only love them both I respect them both."

"They know that, Steve."

"Are you sure? Because I would never want them to think otherwise."

"I'm sure."

He shook his head. "I don't even really know what came over me."

Catherine grinned. "The same thing that comes over you when I mention Grace and dating in the same sentence."

Steve nodded. "You may be on to something there. You're sure I'm square with the Grandmas though, right?"

"Positive."

"So that little lesson last night?"

"Was all in good fun. They just wanted to remind you they can still give you a run for your money."

Steve chuckled. "That they can."

"Seriously, they weren't mad last night. They love and respect you too. That's obvious. They just had a point to make. And let's face it they made it in a pretty funny way."

Steve nodded. "If you ever see me getting too … "

"Caveman-ish?" she smirked.

"Over-protective," he nudged her with his hip.

"If it happens, which I doubt it will, but if it does I'll remind you of the great porn PPV debacle of 2015."

"Thanks, I appreciate that." He kissed her softly on the temple.

"Now let's eat." Catherine rubbed her hands together. "I have plans for later that will require you to have all the energy you can possibly muster."

Steve grabbed a plate and started spooning scrambled eggs onto it. "I like the sound of that."

* * *

 **Borgata Hotel & Casino**

 **7:00 P.M.**

After stopping by the gift shop to buy souvenirs for friends and family Elizabeth, Grandma Ang and Nonna spent a relaxing afternoon at the salon where they were treated to not only a cut and style but a luxurious mani-pedi and a relaxing facial. While the ladies were otherwise occupied Joseph took a walk around the hotel, engaged in some people watching, and called to check on Smokey before meeting them back in the suite to get ready for the evening.

After considering all their options for dinner they decided to order room service and rest in the suite before leaving for the show. The previous night had been a late one and the grandmas were up early in the morning so they wanted to make sure they didn't run out of energy before the end of Tony Bennett's performance.

After going into the bedroom for one final check in the mirror Nonna emerged carrying her purse and a white pastry box.

"What's in the box?" Elizabeth asked.

"Knot cookies. I baked them for Tony Bennett. He may not eat them being as he doesn't really know me and for all he knows I'm some nut that confuses the salt for the sugar or puts rat poison in them, but he's a paisano so he'll understand why I had to bring them."

"Tony is a lucky guy," Joseph smiled wistfully. "But I guess I understand why he's getting the cookies this time around. Hard to pass up the chance to bake for a hero."

They gathered up their things and headed out of the room and down the hall. When they were almost to the elevator Nonna claimed she'd forgotten something and asked Elizabeth to hold the cookies while she went back to the room for just a minute. She emerged a few minutes later all smiles and ready to go.

"Everything ok?" Elizabeth asked.

"Everything's fine, angel." Nonna patted her arm. "Thank you for asking. My memory just isn't what it used to be."

"Ok," Elizabeth replied but she couldn't help noticing the look that passed between her mother and Nonna.

* * *

 **7:55 P.M.**

I can't believe I'm six rows away from Tony Bennett," Nonna smiled happily as they settled into their seats. When they arrived at the venue Joseph offered to deliver the cookies to Tony Bennett's security people while the women went and found their seats.

"Remind me to thank Mary again," Grandma Ang smiled. "Catherine said she worked really hard on getting these tickets. Even if I don't get a chance to get my favorite CD autographed," she patted her purse where she was carrying a copy of _The Beat of My Heart,_ "these seats are enough."

Elizabeth smiled. It had been all she could do to keep the secret of the backstage passes and she couldn't wait to spring the news on Nonna and Grandma Ang after the show.

A few minutes later the house lights went down just as Joseph slipped into the seat beside her. The entire audience sat transfixed as they were treated to two hours of Tony's velvet smooth voice performing not only his early hits but some of his more recent work as well.

When he sang _Here in My Heart,_ a song she knew had always been a favorite of her father, Elizabeth reached over and squeezed her mother's hand. Grandma Ang returned the squeeze gratefully but never took her eyes off the stage.

Joseph smiled as he watched all three of the women silently mouth the words to _I Left My Heart in San Francisco_ , along with most of the rest of the audience, and even found himself bopping his head to _Fly Me to the Moon_.

Between the music itself and Tony's easy charm as he related some of his favorite stories between songs the two hour show passed in what seemed like the blink of an eye, even with two encores. As the house lights came up Grandma Ang sighed happily. "That was amazing."

"It sure was," Nonna agreed. "I'll never forget this night."

As the ladies gathered their purses Elizabeth finally revealed her secret. "It isn't over yet."

"What do you mean, dear?" Nonna asked.

Elizabeth reached into her purse, extracted the backstage passes and held them up for the grandmas to see.

"What are those?" they asked.

Neither woman could believe what they were seeing.

"Not only did Mary get great tickets," Elizabeth said excitedly. "She also got backstage passes."

"You're kidding me." Grandma Ang reached for the passes to see for herself but her hands shaking at the mere idea of meeting one of her idols.

"This is incredible," Nonna said, her voice laced with a mixture of awe and disbelief.

"Let's get going," Elizabeth bubbled. "We don't want to keep Tony waiting."

Twenty minutes later they stood in the anteroom outside Tony Bennett's dressing room as he did a meet and greet with some other fans who also had backstage passes. Nonna and Grandma Ang watched excitedly, hands clasped tightly together, as he finished with that group and made his way over to them. On his way a security guard whispered something in his ear and Tony smiled.

After the initial introductions the security guard, who recognized Joseph from earlier in the evening, approached carrying Nonna's cookie box and opened the lid.

"So you're the one who made me knot cookies," Tony asked, his eyes dancing. "My absolute favorite. I remember my grandmother making these at Christmas. I'm gonna have one. Anyone care to join me?"

They all took a cookie from the box.

Tony bit into his and a look of pure joy crossed his face. "These are delicious," he said sincerely. "Absolutely perfect. And they bring back great memories too."

"I'm glad you like them," Nonna said as she swallowed her own bite. "I wasn't sure if you'd actually eat them but I had to bake them anyway."

"We're Italian," Tony said, making it clear he understood completely. "It's what we do."

He leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. "Security hates it when I eat anything a fan made." He shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? They get paid to worry. But at my age, the sugar is probably just as dangerous as rat poison would be."

They all shared a laugh and before they knew it Tony was looking at pictures on Joseph's phone of the t-shirts and listening with genuine interest as Nonna and Grandma told him all about how Steve, Catherine, Mary and Danny had arranged for the trip.

"They sound absolutely delightful. You must be very proud," Tony said.

"We are," Grandma Ang and Nonna said in unison.

When Tony asked how the rest of the trip had been they related the story of the burlesque show and Steve and Danny's reluctance for them to see it. Tony threw his head back and laughed as they described their texts about the 'blue' movies in the hotel the night before.

"You two are absolutely adorable. I have an idea. Want to get those grandsons of yours going one more time?"

"Of course," Nonna and Grandma Ang smiled. "What do you have in mind?"

"Get your camera ready," Tony smiled to Joseph before dropping an arm around the shoulder of each woman and heading for his dressing room. As they approached security opened the door and stepped aside. "OK now," Tony said as they reached the threshold. "Look over your shoulder and smile for the camera."

Nonna and Grandma Ang's grins could not have been bigger as they did as instructed.

"Now one more," Tony said as they walked through the door. "Just give me one minute."

Once they cleared the threshold he closed the door most of the way, poked his head out and put his finger to his lips as if to say 'shhh'.

Joseph laughed as he took the picture, knowing the reaction it would get from Steve and Danny.

After Tony shared a few stories about his own family and everyone had another cookie Grandma Ang finally remembered to ask him to autograph her CD.

"I have everything on vinyl as well, and I prefer listening to it that way, but this is good for the car and fits easier in my purse," she smiled.

"I always love hearing from people who still listen to vinyl," Tony smiled as he took the CD case and signed it. "I'll tell you what." He motioned to his assistant who was standing a few feet away. "Arthur here is going to give you an address. You send whatever vinyl covers you want signed to that address and I'll sign them and send them back to you. Sound good?"

"Sounds amazing. Thank you." Grandma Ang gushed.

Tony spent a little more time with them since they appeared to be the last group with backstage passes but eventually he needed to leave to do a phone interview and Elizabeth, Joseph, Ang and Nonna made their way back to the suite.

"That was absolutely amazing," Grandma Ang said. "I'm going to text the kids and thank them again but the details will have to wait until tomorrow. Right now I just want to relax and relive every minute of this fabulous evening."

"Same here," Nonna agreed.

"Sounds like a plan," Joseph and Elizabeth agreed. "Maybe we can sleep in a little then have brunch before heading home."

They said their goodnights and retired to their respective rooms with smiles on their faces, still excited about their meeting with Tony Bennett. When Joseph turned on the light in their room he noticed a small white bakery box sitting on the bed. "What's this?" he asked, though in his heart he already knew and he began to smile.

"That must have been what she came back to the room for," Elizabeth said softly.

"Must have been." Joseph picked up the note from the top of the box and a lump formed immediately in his throat.

"What's it say?" Elizabeth moved to look over his shoulder.

" _Joseph,_

 _There are all kinds of heroes. I definitely count you as one. You'll always be at the top of my cookie list._

 _Love, Nonna."_

* * *

 **Mary & Joanie's House**

 **Saturday 9: 00 P.M.**

Mary smiled a teary smile as she read two texts, received one right after other, from Grandma Ang and Nonna telling her how thrilled they were with the tickets and the backstage passes, how grateful they were for all her hard work, how proud they were of her and how much they loved her.

As she swiped the tears from her eyes she made a mental note to call her cell phone provider in the morning and find out how to save texts permanently. There was no way she was going to let these amazing words from these amazing women ever disappear.

Joanie looked at her mother from her position beside the coffee table where she was enjoying a bedtime snack of fruit and crackers. "Mommy cwi?" Her own bottom lip began to quiver slightly at the thought her mother was upset.

"No, baby. There are happy tears. Very happy tears."

"Hap-py," Joanie parroted back.

"How about we have a little extra treat tonight. Let's Skype with Uncle Steve and Auntie Catherine before you go to bed."

"YAY!" Joanie squealed. "Unka 'Teve. Ann Caf!"

"That's right, peanut. It's always good to hear from family."

 **THE END**

* * *

 _If you are not on the REALMcRoll email list and would like to be, drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com with "Add me, please!" in the subject line. You'll get updates, contests, and fun McRoller games._

 _Looking for links to all the REAL World McRoll stories in one place? Check out our Tumblr page mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com._

 _In addition, one of our AWESOME REAL Worlders, katydid13, has created a community on here on_ _fanfiction dot net that brings all of the REAL World stories, and all of Mari, Sammy & Ilna's pre-universe stories in one place. You can find it at_

 _community/McRoll-in-the-Real-World_


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